Daniel Pipes' commentary on Saturday, February 3 ("Sharon may hold key to peace in the Mideast") both frightens and appalls me. That Pipes, director of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum, calls for "...a leader who will intimidate potential enemies, making them less likely to use force[.]" frightens me. Was the State of Israel founded to set an example of freedom, where people would not live in fear of oppression? Or perhaps the State of Israel was founded to set an example of freedom for JEWS at any cost." [I]f you want to attract wolves, act like a lamb[,]" quotes Pipes. Does a lamb respond to children throwing stones with gunfire? Does a lamb block roads, arrest peaceful protestors, destroy homes and gardens, and prevent families from moving freely in a land they once could call home? Mr. Pipes, as an American Jew I was taught to plant trees, to judge no one more than I judge myself, to treat all humankind like my brothers and sisters. But reading your commentary and countless others with similar messages I wonder how many of my Jewish brothers and sisters have chosen the role of the wolf—choosing violence as a desperate means to a oppressive end.
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Sent to the Chicago Sun Times on February 5, 2021 in response to an article by Danile Pipes, "Sharon may hold key to peace in the Mideast".